Honey Hunting in Tawanga Village, Southeast Sulawesi Province

Nature tourism is always luring, as tourists can get closer to nature. In this case, Tawanga Village offers a distinct experience for travelers. Any visitors are allowed to join the locals to hunt honey in the forest. The location is in Uluiwoi District and it belongs to East Kolaka Regency. Exploring the small forest and look for honey combs are quite challenging experiences, and these are doable for everyone. The locals may help visitors to do it, after all. These include the preparation of equipment and the procedures.

The Nuance
Tawanga Village features a small forest, which is located near to the settlement. The locals take advantage of it for cultivating honey from wild bees. The bee hives lie on the trees, so it takes a little bit effort to reach and extract honey from them. Not to mention numerous types of trees grow abundantly there. That means you need to find the right trees for gathering the hives. In this case, you may rely on the help of the locals significantly. They have both the skills and experiences, after all.

Exploring Tawanga Village
Many bee hives grow naturally in the forest, which is located in Tawanga Village. The best time to explore this location is during the spring when the flowers bloom. That means the bees would gather as many honey as possible and store them in the hives. During such season, many local people come to the forest and hunt some honey. For tourists, it becomes an opportunity to join such activity and get a new experience. The thing is it takes a little bit skill to extract the honey from those hives.

The hives are located on the trees, which are quite tall. Not to mention they are guarded by wild bees. In fact, there are thousands of them. Without the right procedure and equipment, this activity can lead to a disaster! Thus, make sure to obey the locals, so you can keep any harm away. The first thing to do is to create a wooden chimney. You can learn it from the villagers, actually. This becomes your primary tool in separating the bees from their hives. The chimney is used to burn leaves and to produce smoke.

Even though it is considered an extreme tourist activity, it offers a distinct experience for visitors. What you need are only a tour guide and a professional honey hunter. Somehow, it takes some money as you need to pay the services of local people. In fact, you need to spend some money to buy the tools. At the end of this adventure, you are allowed to bring the honey home!

Nearby Attractions

• Tikuarau Waterfall
• Ulunggolaka Camp Site
• Likuuha Nature Bath

How to Get There
The trip starts from Kendari City, which is the capital of Southeast Sulawesi Province. The distance between this location and East Kolaka Regency is 132 km, so it takes about 3 hours to reach your destination. For a faster trip, you should take the best route. It is Poros Unaaha-Pondidaha Street! Once you reach East Kolaka, it is time to head to Uluiwoi District and Tawanga Village.

Where to Stay

• Nabila Hotel
• Arni Hotel
• Najwa Hotel
• Dua Putri Hotel